Conventional methods or protocols, such as the Asynchronous Transport Mode (ATM) protocol, are used for transporting packets of data from an origination node to a destination node. The ATM protocol and other conventional protocols are designed for ground-based telecommunication systems and cannot be used without modification in satellite-based systems due to the possibility of packets being reordered and the large jitter possible in the satellite network. Ground-to-space and space-to-space communication links place added constraints, such as packet delays and transmission impairments on their operation that existing, conventional protocols cannot handle. Thus, there is a need for a reliable method for routing data packets in a satellite-based communication system.